


fire & gold.

by Razzy



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Warriors
Genre: Gen, Tags May Change, i dont know what im doin, im dying inside
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-09
Updated: 2017-09-09
Packaged: 2018-12-25 17:23:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12040650
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Razzy/pseuds/Razzy
Summary: past the smoke & fire, there's still a man. there's differences, things lost in translation, but still a man.





	fire & gold.

**Author's Note:**

> This is unbeta'd & I am honestly not used to posting my little drabbles. I might add more onto this sometime... it depends.

- **aftermath** -  
  
there’s lesser known things with dragons, outside of their destructive nature & the legends that brewed forth. some things that even link was surprised to learn about.

growing close to the crimson knight seemed to grant link insight into how the dragons were rather… misunderstood.

one example would of been the times he’s seen small groups of lizalfos & dinolfos gathered around a fallen comrade. quietly chittering amongst themselves, murmuring in a language link had little hope to understand. eventually, they’d disperse, leaving one or two of the lizard-like species to settle with the dead.

volga had always nudged him away at that point. talking about allowing the drakes to have one last moment with their family member, mate, or friend. link had learned they’d stay for an hour, quietly mourning before getting up & returning to the rest.

their lives didn’t grant a longer time to mourn, but, according to volga… it wasn’t needed. the dragons understood life & death, being part of the foodchain while hunted by other predators. a death wasn’t seen as a particularly sad event, more as a promise to meet in another time.

( it explained how people may of seen their practices as heartless. uncaring monsters who did not have the capacity for love. )

link's left giving a final glance a pair of lizalfos, one curled up as if it was sleeping. the other one was laying beside it, snout resting on the crook of it's neck.

if memory serves right, the sleeping one had been the other one's raid captain. they were partners on the field. now, the live one was mourning. volga said it's best not to interrupt ; his customs are different from the hyrulean kingdoms.

he walks away.

- **sleeping** -

on a lighter note, link had later learned that dragons sleep. a _lot._ it was almost ridiculous.

if they weren’t hunting or quarreling amongst themselves, attempting to display each one’s strength in hopes of wooing a mate, they were sleeping. often coiled in piles of scales & claws, tangled in each other’s limbs to save heat on excursions with the hylian army. that was rather cute to witness, seeing the normally feared beasts coiled together in several masses of sleeping lizard.

( link had the… enjoyment… of being part of one of those piles, learning far more intimately than he’d like on how well lizalfos trap heat. volga had to pull him out, all while chuckling at the hero’s misguided intentions. the lizalfos seemed to like having him though. )

even volga, so called scorching beserker ( rightfully so! ), was no different. if he wasn’t training or performing his duties as the leader, he too was resting.

sometimes sprawled out in a secluded area, wings spread out & laying on his side. other times, it took only a few minutes of steady petting & enough time to relax, that he’d fall asleep right on link.

- **affection** -

the next example had taken a while for the hero to figure out.

only on his first peaceful visit to eldin caves, did he learn the meaning behind the gently headbutts some of the dinolfos & lizalfos did to each other, including aerolfols.

it was a sign of affection.

romantic, familial, or platonic, it didn’t seem to matter. he’d see the same action done repeatedly between several pairs. a parent & their child, or two long time friends greeting each other. some of the chieftans even did the action with volga, bumping their head with his shoulder. his response was usually acknowledging it, although, on rare occasions, link could catch him gently nudging the dragon back with his helmet.

link had tried the action himself at one point, leaning over & nudging the dragon knight’s arm with his cheek. all he had gotten in return was volga’s head snapping to look at him in alarm, brows drawn in confusion.

after a moment, volga had relaxed, looking away with a mumbled _“you’re spending too much time with the lizalfos.”_ link could only offer a lopsided grin in response, shrugging.

( it had delighted him the first time volga had come up to him afterwards, still in his dragon form, & nudged link back by his chest. sitting down & allowing the hero to wrap arms around his snout, only sighing in response. )

- **species** -

he hasn’t quite figured out if volga was more like a snake or a lizard. or an alligator. or a gecko...maybe just _reptilian_.

point being, there were several soft spots in his dragon form. a curve underneath his jaw, scratching there often made volga rumble deeply in approval, head tilting into the hero’s hand. featherlight touches along his scales, finding the sweeter areas that drew a purr or sigh.

unlike one would expect, volga seemed more partial to hissing than an actual snarl. unless one genuinely angered him, that is. low, throaty hissing that sounded far more threatening than a telltale snarl. more like a promise than anything else. in some way, the loud snarls & screeches on the battle served only to intimidate those who didn't know any better, who were raised to fear the scream of a dragon.

( link still recalls the shudder than went through him the first time he heard it. the deep hiss that grew in volume, volga’s head over his shoulder & feeling the heat radiating off of his scales. had he not known it wasn’t aimed at him, link may of felt like the poor sods in front of them. )

- **gold** -

much to their stereotype, dragons seemed fond of pretty things. most notably, the aerolfols stealing away rupees that had little value to them. most currency wasn’t valued, in favor of bartering & work. link learned to come to the caves packed with trinkets & supplies.

still it came as a surprise that even volga was affected by this innate desire. however, with his hylian blood – rupees weren’t his quarry. in fact, volga had a rather short leash on his tendencies. only things of more beauty than shine were his weakness. jewelry, ceremonial weaponry, even some fabric caught his eye. link was beginning to recognize the slight interest in volga’s gaze whenever they passed certain vendors, noting the objects that volga lingered most on.

things that were simple, yet elegant seemed to catch his eye more. gold, silver, even some amethyst lined jewlery were his major weakpoints.

with that in mind, link sets to work. heading out to the bazaar one evening, checking his pouch to ensure he’d have enough rupees to finish the purchase. walking briskly, link returns to the jewelry vendors.

upon reaching the vendor, link shoots a friendly wave before looking around. he’s noticed volga eying a certain necklace on occasion, admiring either the craftsmanship or the amethyst centerpiece. thankfully, the item in question hadn’t been sold yet. pointing to the necklace, link signs his next question.

the necklace itself wasn’t much. a simple silver chain, the front of it having multiple smaller chains ending in different shades of almost violet ( in the right light ) sapphires. the centerpiece had a rather bright amethyst in front, a small snakelike creature holding the gem in place.

it’d be a surprising – _& hopefully liked_ – gift from link. offering the vendor a thankful smile as he takes the necklace  & a display box to set it in. perhaps now he’d be able to walk through here without volga slowing down at yet another vendor.

he leaves it in volga’s room once the dragon left to answer impa’s questioning. setting the box on the bed with a note that simply said - _‘from, link’_ on it. hopefully, he’d be forgiven for trespassing.

( the next few days, nothing of note happened. link trained with volga, trained on his own, did some errands. although, after a while, he’s returned to his room to a surprise. two gold bands, meant to wrap around the underside of his ear. there wasn’t a note, but link already had an idea from who it was from. )

- **company** -

say what you will, hylian folk weren’t too fond of cross species companionship.

a dragon, of all things? link wasn’t sure how to feel. seeking company of another who wasn’t quite human. as passing as volga was, without armor & tattooed skin on display – there was bound to be mistakes. eyes too reptilian, faint discoloration where scales almost appear to unknowing eyes, too sharp teeth. a few of many differences that link could now see. it was… unnerving, on an instinctual level.

volga was hylian, yes, but at the same time he _wasn’t._ & the parts that weren’t hylian enough were beginning to show.

with much on his mind, link pulls away from the drake. ignoring the occasional gift & spending more time with impa when called. he needs a breather, from the culture shock & from the dragon.

his public image was beginning to be soured, rumors sometimes reaching his ears with talk of lovers & a 'taste for the wild’ – whatever _that_ means. it confuses link more than anything. wasn’t it his job to learn as much as he can, so that both species could coexist?

the words had a noticeable effect on him. link was pulling away from the beserker knight; ignoring the questioning look he gets from volga time to time. he busies himself with various tasks, stammering out something along the lines of increased workloads whenever volga commented on it. 

after a while of this treatment, meeting only on the field & the rare times zelda calls volga to the castle, link catches something strange.

volga’s seated across from sheik, allowing the sheikah to undo his helmet. pulling back the skull, unstrapping the leather under his jaw & exposing short, ashen locks. their hands are gentle, cupping cheeks & running thumbs over the tattooed skin. judging by the way volga remains relaxed even as they gently coax lips apart to expose sharp teeth, sheik was given full permission to inspect.

( volga has a soft, amused grin on his features. lazily murmuring whatever it is he’s saying to sheik. a flick of his tongue & sheik’s recoiling their hand, much to his amusement. a moment later, sheik joins in the laughter. )

link didn’t mean to stare. he was only looking to return the sparring weaponry, & where the two were set up, it gave him ample room to watch. forcing his gaze away, quickening his pace.

( he’s not sure how to feel. on one hand, he’s proud sheik had managed to befriend the dragon knight. on the other, link almost feels… bothered by the news. )


End file.
